Behind the scenes: HGTV's Celebrity Holiday Homes

Heather Terveen is a writer and blogger with a passion for anything and everything related to creating beautiful spaces. Shes a contributing writer for SheKnows covering home, lifestyle and parenting topics. Follow her adventures in home...

Celebrity holiday decor

Ever wonder how celebrities decorate their humble abodes for the holidays? We got an inside look at how HGTV made over one celeb's home for Christmas.

Year after year on their annual special Celebrity Holiday Homes, HGTV gives us an inside look at how celebs do up their homes for the holidays . This year is no exception. Two specials will be airing, each showcasing three different celebrity homes made over for the holidays.

Designer Danielle Colding, winner of Design Star season 7, decorates Bebe Winans' home in one of the specials. We caught up with Colding and got the inside skinny on how she helped the R&B singer ring in the season.

SheKnows: As winner of Design Star season 7, you're no rookie to decorating a space under pressure. What was it like to do up Bebe Winans' house for the holidays?

Danielle Colding: Ain't that the truth! I feel like I have a whole new appreciation for designing under fire after my Design Star experience.

However, designing Bebe Winans' home for the holidays was completely different. I had time to come up with a concept and a team of people to help me execute my vision. The most challenging part of the process was the sheer scale of the project. It was massive. We needed a ton of stuff to make the transformation dramatic. But once I had my concept down, it was all about working with a great group to bring it to fruition.

SK: Can you tell us a little bit about your overall vision?

DC: The vision I had for the space was to bring in some culture and a bit of vintage charm. I used the look of the Harlem Renaissance as my inspiration. The photography from that era featured sheer luxury — fur, pearls, feathers, delicate furniture abound. The home was already beautiful with a green and red scheme and dark, masculine furniture. My goal was to lighten up the space, using pale yellows, whites and metallics for a luminous scheme. This design was all about repetition, layering and candlelight. I was thrilled with the final result.

SK: Did Winans give you a lot of direction or did he just let you run with it?

DC: Bebe was such an amazing sport and extremely receptive to all of my ideas. He helped me a lot with making it all come together but let me do my thing on the design side.

SK: What were your favorite elements of the finished space?

DC: There were so many moments I am proud of in this design. The living room was simply gorgeous — the huge tree with metallic and white ornaments, the beautiful lacquer magnolia leaf wreaths and the mantel was a showstopping centerpiece with candles everywhere. Another really successful moment in the space was in the dining room. The kissing balls hanging from the ceiling created an unexpected and dramatic winter wonderland — like snowballs hanging from the ceiling. I also incorporated a piece of original art by my dear friend Jules Arthur and that brought some beauty, color and history into the space in a unique way.

SK: What were Winans' favorite parts? Was he blown away?

DC: When you set foot into his home you can tell how much his family and friends mean to him — there are photos everywhere. It was my goal to honor that in my design. I think the thing that moved Bebe the most was the custom photo wrapping paper I created. When I showed him the final product, he was visibly touched. It was a lovely moment.

SK: What does your house look like for the holidays? Do you go all out with the decorating?

DC: For my own home I keep it pretty simple. For me, it's all about using things that I have and infusing a few special holiday elements. My mother's antique dinnerware, an assortment of metallic candleholders with all white candles and a small simple tree decorated with ornaments from my childhood are featured in my apartment. Candlelight and fresh flowers are the keys to creating a holiday mood.

Want to see more celebrity homes made over for the holidays? Catch the next Celebrity Holiday Homes special on 12/15 at 9 p.m Eastern on HGTV. Or click on over to check out the photo galleries on HGTV.com.